NEWS NEWS
TLC LAUNCHES NEW GROUP RIDE STAND AT YORK AVENUE BETWEEN EAST 70TH AND 71ST STREETS
New Service is Part of Mayor Bloomberg’s Plan To Increase Transit Options in Under Served Areas
On June 28, 2010 The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) inaugurated a new group ride service at York Avenue, between East 70th and 71st Streets.
In response to community requests the TLC has established this new yellow taxi group ride stand in conjunction with the existing group ride stand at East 79th Street and York Avenue.
Between the hours of 7 and 10 a.m. on weekdays, two or more passengers will be able to pay a flat fare of $6.00 for taxicab rides from the group ride stand location to destinations in the financial district. After the taxicab exits the southbound FDR Drive drop-offs would begin at Pearl Street continuing south onto Water Street and ending at the World Financial Center. This follows the discontinuation of the X90 express bus which had also traveled between the Upper East Side and the Financial District.
“We believe this is a practical and useful alternative transportation option for those who had relied on the X90 express bus,” said TLC Commissioner David Yassky. “At $6.00 per passenger this service will not only be appreciated by riders, but it’s a good economic option for the drivers as well. Whenever you can use existing resources to address challenges like those presented by the X90’s discontinuation everyone benefits including the environment.”
“Hail to the TLC for working with us to create a creative, no cost way to help commuters on the east side. In particular, this will provide a great new option for those passengers who are being hurt by the discontinuation of the X90 bus,” Council Member Jessica Lappin said.
The location was chosen after TLC staff observed passenger volume along the X90’s route as well as after consideration of its proximity to the existing East 79th Street/York Avenue stand and a nearby entrance to the southbound FDR Drive.
Further information on the Group Ride Stand is available on the TLC’s web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi.
The opinion editorial below was published on July 9, 2010 in the New York Post and authored by
Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Commissioner David Yassky. We hope you find it interesting and informative.
CITY STEPPING IN WHEN THE MTA CUTS
By Stephen Goldsmith & David Yassky
The recession is forcing all levels of government to cut spending. The city budget eliminated some worthwhile services that just aren't affordable right now. The state is doing the same and last week the MTA cut dozens of subway and bus routes.
But tough budget times don't have to leave New Yorkers in the lurch. Creative government can often find ways to do more with less. And affordable, reliable transit options are certainly high on anyone's list of services the government should provide. That's why Mayor Bloomberg has announced a plan to let group ride van services help New Yorkers scrambling to replace lost commuting options. Passengers will pay $2 a ride, about the same fare as the bus and subway, and the communities hardest hit by transit cuts will be the first to receive the service.
The idea builds on the "commuter vans" that have proliferated in some parts of Brooklyn and Queens but with two important differences:
• These vans will pick up and discharge passengers at fixed stops rather than roaming freely as the commuter vans do, and
• they'll have to carry adequate insurance and be driven by certified drivers in contrast to the hundreds of unlicensed vans that can cause problems on neighborhood streets.
This will be a "pilot program". We'll try it in a half-dozen locations and expand if it succeeds.
The goal is to help New Yorkers get to work or to the supermarket or the doctor or wherever they're going—just a little faster and more easily. Who could object to that? Yet some leaders of the Transit Workers Union have actually threatened to sue the Taxi and Limousine Commission to stop the service.
The subway workers' union argues that the city, by providing group ride vans, helps justify the MTA service cuts. In fact, the MTA's cuts have already gone into effect leaving us with two choices: Do nothing, or take action to provide assistance to thousands of New Yorkers in Jamaica, Flatbush, Kew Gardens and other neighborhoods that have lost bus routes, many of them in neighborhoods with working families who already faced limited transportation options.
We share the mayor's hope that — whether through a better budget in Albany or congestion pricing or some other innovative solution — the MTA will receive more resources and restore routes. But hope for the future is no substitute for concrete solutions now so we're taking action. The new group ride vans will provide a valuable service to New Yorkers at virtually no cost to the city.
They'll also nicely complement the city's recent efforts (in collaboration with the MTA) to establish designated traffic lanes that allow buses to speed through key corridors. These "bus lanes" are improving service at minimal cost to taxpayers. Along with the group ride vans they are perfect examples of the mayor's belief that, in these tough times, we can and must do more with less.
Government has a responsibility to serve its customers well. To do that we need political, labor, business and civic leaders to pull together to solve real problems. Otherwise too many New Yorkers will be left to stand on the corner waiting for a bus that may never come.
Stephen Goldsmith is New York's deputy mayor for operations. David Yassky is the Taxi and Limousine commissioner.
BLACK CAR MPG RULES DEFERRED PENDING UPCOMING RULEMAKING
INDUSTRY NOTICE #10-10
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) announced on June 30, 2010 that the regulatory requirement that Black Cars being placed into service as of July 1, 2010 achieve a city rating of 25 miles per gallon is deferred pending TLC rulemaking action which is anticipated to take place at the September Commission meeting.
As stated above, the enforcement of provisions set forth in Section 6-09(a) of TLC For-Hire Vehicle Rules (“Black Car Vehicle Specifications”) which had been previously deferred, modifying the compliance date from January 1, 2010 to July 1, 2010 will be deferred until further notice. TLC rules implementing the mandatory retirement of vehicles used as Black Cars have likewise been deferred.
We anticipate sharing further information on this matter at the July Commission meeting. Meeting schedule notices are posted in the Public Notices section of the TLC’s web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi.
TLC APPROVES LIVERY VAN GROUP RIDE PILOT
Proposed Service Locations Announced For Areas Impacted by MTA Service Cuts
The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) voted unanimously to authorize a pilot program that would create a framework for livery van group ride service in certain areas throughout the city that are either under served by mass transit or impacted by recent MTA service cuts. The program was announced by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith, TLC Commissioner David Yassky and Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn on June 22, 2010.
The new service will allow point-to-point, shared ride service among specified pick up and drop off locations with initial service areas based around MTA bus routes that have been eliminated or significantly reduced. It is anticipated that passengers will pay a flat fare of $2.
Vehicles will be clearly marked, both outside and inside, for identification as participating in the pilot. Pick up and drop off locations will be marked with DOT provided signage. Drop offs can occur at the fixed stops or at other locations passengers negotiate with drivers.
“The TLC’s action today paves the road for a new form of service that we believe will be of great benefit to people affected by the MTA’s service reductions,” said Commissioner Yassky. “One of the great advantages of having a comprehensive transportation network, as we do in New York City, is that it sometimes has the flexibility to serve people in new and better ways that never before existed, and this van program is a perfect example of this.”
Bases, commuter van authorities, and other businesses capable of providing the service can participate by responding to a Notice of Solicitation that will be distributed shortly. The program is limited to vehicles that can hold 6 to 20 passengers.
Drivers, vehicles, and bases/commuter van authorities will apply for a new license specific to the piloted service. Insurance and licensing requirements for the pilot will be similar to existing van/livery service requirements. TLC will select operators for the pilot and enter into MOU agreements with them. We anticipate the service being available to the public on or around August 16, 2010.
The following are five service locations that have been initially chosen. Several others will follow. Specific pick up and drop off locations will be announced once MOU agreements have been finalized:
1. Former B23 • Borough Park, Kensington, Flatbush • 1,580 weekday customers
2. Former B71 • Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Prospect Heights • 1,080 weekday customers
3. Former B39 • Williamsburg, Manhattan • 1,180 weekday customers
4. Former Q74 • Kew Gardens, Queens College • 2,100 weekday customers
5. Former Q79 • Little Neck, Glen Oaks, Bellerose • 650 weekday customers
The program, which will be implemented in close coordination with members of the New York City Council and other elected officials, will include a strong enforcement component in conjunction with the NYPD.
For businesses and TLC licensees interested in participating in this pilot program please read and respond to the Notice of Solicitation available at: www.nyc.gov/taxi. Responses are due to the TLC by July 30, 2010.
For general information on the pilot please refer to the Commission presentation available at www.nyc.gov/taxi. For more specific information please attend one of the two upcoming meetings for interested businesses and licensees. Both meetings will take place at our Lower Manhattan office located on 40 Rector Street, 5th Floor:
• Monday, July 19 starting at 11am
• Thursday, July 22 starting at 11am